Chapter 291: Chapter 1: Meteor Butterfly Sword, Tianyuan Pig
Opening his eyes, Chen Jiuge was greeted by a beautiful ocean of blue, its ethereal blue phosphorescence illuminating the vast land.
"It’s Junior Chen, right?" Huang Kui, with his dark complexion and honest face, revealed a broad smile.
Only then did Chen Jiuge notice Huang Kui standing before the blue ocean. He quickly gave a respectful salute, saying, "Senior brother, may I ask your name? My surname is Chen, and my given name is Jiuge."
"Huang Kui. I’ve already received your information, Junior Chen. This is your first time in the Infinite Star Sea. Let me first take you to see where we are stationed and introduce you to the place," said Huang Kui with a nod and a smile.
...
"The place we need to guard is called Butterfly Star. It mainly produces a type of Spirit Plant and a Spiritual Beast. The output of these two determines the Contribution Points we each get."
Huang Kui crouched down and pointed at the Spirit Plant. "Look, Junior Chen, this Spirit Plant blooms like a butterfly spreading its wings, with its green leaves resembling little swords. We usually call it the Meteor Butterfly Sword!"
"Meteor... Butterfly Sword?" Chen Jiuge stammered. Isn’t that name a bit dramatic?
"Correct. Once the flower of this Spirit Plant blooms, it doesn’t wither. It will only fall off automatically after a hundred years, when its medicinal power has reached its peak. Its green leaves, which resemble little swords, turn into Star Stones in the Heavenly Realm when they fall to the ground."
Chen Jiuge didn’t know the effects and rarity of this butterfly flower, so it didn’t resonate much with him.
But he was all too familiar with Star Stones. They were a type of Spiritual Ore, considered True Immortal Level material for Artifact Refining, and could even help breed certain Star Spiritual Beasts. And now you’re telling me these are just transformed from leaves?
Seeing Chen Jiuge’s astonished look, Huang Kui just laughed, not saying much, as he himself had felt the same when he first arrived here.
Passing through the blue ocean filled with Meteor Butterfly Swords, Chen Jiuge saw a lake emitting a blue glow. Nearby, there were numerous mini blue pigs.
"This is the Spiritual Beast you need to raise and look after, the Tianyuan Pig."
"Its meat can speed up the cultivation of Star-related Divine Skills, and long-term consumption can also enhance one’s talent for Star Power. Most importantly, Tianyuan Pigs are formidable in battle, which helps us resist the Insect Clan," explained Huang Kui, picking up a Tianyuan Pig and gently stroking it.
Watching the Tianyuan Pig struggling violently and squealing pitifully in Huang Kui’s arms, Chen Jiuge cautiously remarked, "Is this pig not accustomed to strangers?"
"Oh, that? Not exactly. It’s mainly because Spiritual Beasts in the Infinite Star Sea hardly develop Spiritual Wisdom. Take this Tianyuan Pig, for example; it has yet to reach the True Immortal Level. Even Heavenly Immortal Level Spiritual Beasts rarely possess Spiritual Wisdom. It’s said to be due to the influence of another world," explained Huang Kui, as he slapped the piglet in his arms, finally calming it down.
"As long as you deliver a thousand Tianyuan Pigs or a hundred thousand Meteor Butterfly Swords every hundred years, plus the reward for a hundred years of guardianship, you can get two Contribution Points. It’s quite a good deal," Huang Kui said with a beaming smile.
"Two?" Chen Jiuge was surprised by the number. Wasn’t that a bit too few?
"Contribution Points are very precious. You’ll understand later, Junior Chen. Now, let’s take a look at the area you’ll be guarding," Huang Kui changed the subject.
Arriving at the towering wall at the edge, Huang Kui’s expression grew solemn. "Junior Chen, the Senior brother who guarded this place with me before, Senior He, was in charge of defense here, but unfortunately, he sacrificed his life."
"Now, you’re here to take over Senior brother He’s position. From now on, you’ll be responsible for breeding the Tianyuan Pigs, ensuring a quantity of at least one thousand every hundred years. Otherwise, for your Contribution Points, you’ll only receive the one point reward for a hundred years of guardianship."
"Mm." Chen Jiuge was confident in his Spirit Beast Breeding abilities.
"I believe Junior Chen won’t have any problems. After all, you are a master of Spirit Beast Breeding. However, the Spiritual Beasts in the Star Sea are a bit different. As for how they are different, I’m a Spiritual Plant Master, so I’m not really clear on that. Now, let’s discuss the enemy we’ll be facing. Junior Chen, follow me."
After speaking, Huang Kui leapt onto the city wall, with Chen Jiuge closely following.
The city wall was nearly a hundred meters wide, and its stone bricks looked ancient. However, the faintly visible patterns on them told Chen Jiuge that their defensive strength was extraordinary.
Beyond the walls lay a pitch-black void, devoid of the slightest light.
"Junior Chen, that’s Chaos out there. You must open your Dharma Eye to see anything. Our future enemy, the Insect Clan, doesn’t have this trouble," Huang Kui said as a pale yellow Heavenly Eye opened on his forehead.
Chen Jiuge also opened his Dharma Eye in a similar fashion. However, as he hadn’t cultivated any Divine Skills related to it, the eye on his forehead only emitted a faint Spirit Light.
"Junior Chen, when you have time, consider cultivating a Divine Skill for the Dharma Eye. The first time you come to the Infinite Star Sea, you can unconditionally cultivate three small Divine Skills," Huang Kui noted this and reminded him.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior brother," Chen Jiuge expressed his gratitude.
"Mm, when the time comes, you can just go to the central Scripture Pavilion in your free time. It has all the records of this place. You can exchange for Divine Skills, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures there, and Immortal Artifacts and similar items are also handled through the Array inside," Huang Kui said, pointing towards the tallest tower.
"Hold on a moment, Junior Chen. I think I see one."
After just a few dozen breaths, Huang Kui returned to the city wall with a gigantic insect.
Its shell was pitch-black, its six legs a pale blue, with a spiral horn on top of its head and a mouth full of sharp, dense teeth. As for its appearance, Chen Jiuge could only think that magnified insects were truly ugly.
"Junior Chen, this is the main enemy we will face: the Insect Clan. An individual Insect Clan member isn’t very strong, but their reproduction rate is ludicrous. This Mahayana Realm insect only needs one month to mature from birth. That’s why we face an invasion from the Insect Clan here every month."